summer fun

or; this blue is for you.
Mark is really enjoying firing Ms. B. this is his third load since he put her back to work. When we built this kiln we were thinking about a few possibilities for her.
First off, the big kiln takes a lot more work to fill, glaze, load and fire.
Second off, the big kiln was built in 1986 and it has begun to show a little age.
It has some "bald" spots that I think could be showing up in the firing.
He was a work horse, but we no longer want to ride behind him, and, it is time to look at where or what we will do in that spot next, but that is for another day.
Third, and, last but not least, we want to work in some new glazes. We know that all things move in new directions, it is true, you must be willing to move with them.

In Ms. B we are working on different wood ash glazes, adding in a few softer, brighter glazes, trying new and different and a little of the old.
We use to make a lot of the Turquoise glaze with wax resist, we have stuck some test in this kiln, and, we are having some success. What we have to do now is look at the old recipe and compare it to what new chemicals that are out there.
If you read me here you know that we have had some issues with chemical changes, as have many other potters.
Nothing stays the same, more testing to come.
So, stay tune, ride along with us and we'll see what comes up next.
Enough about us, go look at pots.
M
 

Here you go!

Front

 Pictures of pots.

It was a hot firing, to be expected with the tall lamps in the load.
The iron red loved the heat and the reduction..... I love a good iron red.

Most of the kiln came out very well; you can expect a few dogs with the amount of pots we put in the kiln.
Again, I am asked, how many pots we get in a load.
Again, I fail to count.
Some loads it's a lot, some loads it's a lot more and some loads it could be more.

We are mulling over a test we put in the kiln that we think we forgot to add some of the oxides in... but we like what it did and it could become a new glaze for us. It has the possibilities of a happy accident.

middle

back

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Mugs anyone?

The fog yesterday morning

More fog....

Now, the real work begins, we are sanding, pricing, and toting, come on over for a look see.
M

Friday full of thoughts

There has been a great discussion in the comments section on how much it cost to fire an electric kiln.
Years age mark figured it coast about 8.00 for a bisque- years ago mind you.
We have not done the cost on how much in many years and with the formula that was shared we plan to check out how much it does cost.
We do have the pottery on a separate meter from our house.
That allows us to know what it does cost when we are running full tilt.
I can tell you that the kilns are separate from our work area and this allows us to shut off that area when we are firing.
This save heat when we fire in the winter and A/C in the summer.
It also allows us to continue to work even with a kiln going.
We mostly fire bisque in the electric kilns and have two gas kilns to finish fire in.
But a few years back I wanted to make tiles and we bought the smaller kiln just to do that.
Well there is nothing like a new kiln, its like a new car, to see what you have been missing.
We love the new kiln and spent most of last year saving for a new and bigger one to replace the old kiln.
When it came December after a lot of thought and good advice from the blog community we bought.
I think we will be very happy with our choice.

With the tiles I am using mostly bought glazes and playing with color.
I thought I would only be making tiles- but I am now doing some throwing for the kiln and am trying to find some new glazes for those pots.

The teapots are glazed in a slip type glaze that goes on well and has a nice warm toasty color to it.
But after years of the gas kiln I know I want more depth to what I am using.
So I have been reading and looking through cone 5-6 glazes.
I fire to 2190-soak for 15 and then back cool and shut off.
There is still more to learn.
We did fire cone 6 years ago but the glazes I used then were quick and covered the pots.
I want glazes that will let the carving and stamping show.
So it  is like going back to school and digging through much info while I look for what I want.
Mark is planning to put the new kiln to more use with some heavy reduction.
Seems I am torn between the two worlds....
There is no reason I can' t have both, right?!
Cheers from , I want it all!
M